Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1887-06-28

The State % Maine Association OF
C.lifofni. held II. tenth annual reunion.
a, El,, Oakland. May :. Fully 5000
natives Of Maine were present. Gen. d.
o. Howard WAS the orator Of the day.
aud Capt. w. I. Ss.ssy. = native Of
Ba,h. delivered poem. In his weleom.
ing address. the president Of the ~.oei..
iion. T.. w M.sion. native OF Water.
vile. gave ui,eranes 10 some truths which
have a pleasing sound 10 the ears Of
MAine people We m,ks the following
extracts.
"Bli. grcA, a. Caliiornia may truth.
fully claim 10 be in msny things, We can
name some thing. 10 which ,hi, State Of
our adoption has TO take second row.
or even back seat. when compared
with the dear old mother State Of Maine.
For example. take our shore lines; ihA,
Of California stretches nearly seven hund.
rel and fihy miles. ours Of old M,ine.
measuring al IL los aud outs. extends
two thousand aud five hundred miles.
Ia other words, IL i' more than three
sine. =. long q. ,hA, Of C'lifotni.!
Su.igh,en out TIA, coa,, line aud
stretch /, down the Atlantic coast. snd IL
would reach clear down round Florida.
and run some way westerly along the
eoas; Of the Gulf Of Mexico.
And ,hi. whole vas, reach is studded
with islands Of al shape, and sizes. and
indenied with beautiful bays and excel.
lent h.rbor.. 20 an extent which ihi.
bleak aud bsyless coast Of ours cannot
begin TO equal. or even 10 imsgins posi-
ble.
Then. =. to lake. and ponds. II Call
iforni, has a single lake or pond Of clear.
bright. blue and sparkling water. lying
wholly within her own limits. | have
never seen /, and DO not know OF H.
Ba, Maine has over seventeen hundred.
some Of them. like old Moosehead. large
enough for inland seas.
II you wan, rivers. where In all our
bounds. great {. they are. IL there one
river running clear and free TO the sea-
Our Cslifofnia river. like too many OF
the C.lifornians themselves. seem only
too fond Of having "br In froni OF
their mouth. Bat Maine has no, only
AndrO.coggin. Kennebee aud Penobseo.
and Saco. rivaling even the world.re
nosned Hudson 10 the beauty aud grand.
eur Of their scenery. bu, scores Of other
small but lovely streams running unvex-
ed 10 the sea.
And. then, too. IL the o ID State yields
no gold aud silver in the mineral form
direct. she has millions OF tons ofthe fin.
ss, grained granite. and thousand. Of
acres Of qusuies Of rOOfas slate, yielding
slabs 90 large ,ha, her ,ehool.houses can
show solid slate blsek.board., made OF
one single slab Of slate. twelve feet long
and five fee, wide, bull, nigh, into the
wall. Of the sehool.rOom.
She has ship timber enough to con.
s,rue, the merchant marine OF u dozen
nations; lumber enough TO hous, the
world. and have shingles enough left to
sOandly spank all the disobedien, bri's
Of refractory universe.
She has fish enough to satisfy the Good
Fridays OF the whole creation. aud man.
ufac,ures enough to give a big silver
dollar every year TO every man. woman
aud child in the whole Union.
Bu, her erowning crop !. men and
women. Men Of talent, men OF genius.
men Of bravery. men Of honor; women
Of worth. women Of accomplishments.
women Of signal beauty. and OF even
greater virtue. Men and women who-
have gone forth over all th e world As
founders Of empires and mothers OF No
tions.
In the hoar Of our nl,ioa's desdlisst
peril, the s,alwart soa, Of old Maine. and
one Of the bravest aad most vAlian, Of
them ell. the hero Of Gettysburg. We de.
light TO honor as our orator this day.
Evsrywherc they are bailding up the
world OF commerce, OF Manufactured. Of
learning and Of goodness. E'erywhere
the world is better for their having lived.
and for their living ia IL.
And may 1t 90 continue 10 greater and
greater degree. and that forever and for
ever. God bles. sll the s,ns and dAugh,-
e,s Of the Old Pine Tres State.